fromPhilosophynow
3 days agoPhilosophy
The Collective City
Islamic philosophy invites plurality and coexistence, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and the acceptance of error in understanding.
In its scope, scale and ambition, Panorama City outstripped Greater L.A.'s prewar attempts at creating master-planned neighborhoods. It was the brainchild of Henry Kaiser, a shipbuilder keen to put his formidable industrial might, which had manufactured the famous Liberty cargo ships that transported U.S. goods around the world during World War II, to equally lucrative peacetime uses.
Since purchasing the land last year, Oceanwide has reworked the design for the Fig Central development, adding a third tower in the process. The $1-billion project now consists of two 40-story high-rises and another high-rise at 49 stories. In all, 504 condos, 183 hotel rooms and nearly 450,000 square feet of retail space are planned.
The City Council direction, now led by Mayor Vicki Veenker and Vice Mayor Greer Stone, marks a departure from previous agenda-setting retreats by replacing broader ideals with concrete topics. With Manhattan Beach Council member Amy Howorth serving as a facilitator for the meeting, which took place at the Mitchell Park Library, the council worked to clarify the terms "values," "priorities" and "objectives" before voting on its priorities for the year.
The past year ushered in a new age of fiscal challenges for the county as President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress passed legislation last summer that triggered unprecedented cuts to the federal Medicaid program. Known as Medi-Cal in California, the program provides health insurance to low-income and disabled individuals. As the operators of the second-largest county health and hospital system in the state, Trump's landmark tax-and-spending bill has left a giant hole in Santa Clara County's growing budget for the coming years.
Cedar Street just came out victorious in a multi-year saga with the city of La Canada Flintridge, winning the first successful builder's remedy case in California Superior Court for its 80-unit mixed-use project at 600 Foothill Boulevard and setting a path for other developers to build. But the fight may have left its scars, in time, stress and now soured relationships with some officials.
In contrast to previous years, the Palo Alto City Council has set at least one very specific priority for 2026: find funding to acquire and renovate Cubberley Community Center. Cubberley was one of four priorities council approved for 2026 during its annual retreat at Mitchell Park Community Center on Saturday. The other three are: government efficiency; achieve near-term housing priority milestones; and enhance business vibrancy.